Renault is relaunching its legendary car, the R5 in an electric version.
Its development is a big challenge for the French manufacturer, which is banking heavily on it.
TF1’s 8 pm was able to exclusively film the prototype of this new model.
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When Luca Di Maio became the boss of Renault four years ago, he discovered this among the company’s abandoned projects: the idea of a new R5 model. TF1’s 20H offers you a unique opportunity to discover a prototype of this unique car. Very quickly, the CEO decided to build this new R5. From his office located in a former historic factories building in Boulogne-Billancourt (Hautes-de-Seine), he oversees the most important project in the relaunch of the French manufacturer.
A model with the same design as the original
No one else in France is making a small electric car for 25,000 euros. “We are talking about a project that, according to our estimates, will bring 20 billion euros of direct and indirect investment to the north of France, Underlines the business manager. This car is one of them which will democratize electricity in Europe, That’s for sure!“8.5 million R5s were sold between 1972 and 1993.
To repeat this success, designers do not have carte blanche: the new car must be the same as the old car. “We noticed that the hood was very horizontal, Deciphers Nicolas Jardine, one of them. It had a very forward look, with a rag, typical of Renaults of the time. These are actually elements that we have tried to renew and reinterpret in a modern way.“The problem: the old R5 had a very square shape, so not aerodynamic at all. So Renault’s engineers tried to reconcile this old design with an improvement of this dimension.
North has plans for 1,500 hires
The autonomy of the new R5 is really essential in the project. 20H was able to film exclusive images, inside the factory in Dui (North) where this model is manufactured. Renault is busy exploring real costs here. Priority? The battery, which accounts for a third of the total cost of the car. For the same range of around 400 kilometers, the R5 has it easier than the Megane introduced two years ago. “We managed to cut the assembly time in half“, rejoiced site director Pierre-Emmanuel Andrix. Enough to save money for the company, but also for the customers.
Here, the firm wants to produce the R5 in less than ten hours and approach the rates achieved by American giant Tesla. For this, the number of parts and subcontractors has been reduced. “80% of our suppliers are located around us within a radius of 300 kilometers from the factory.“, suggests Neyla Carrero, engineer at the Douai factory. Along with the development of the R5, Renault plans to hire 750 people at the site and another 700 at the new battery factory, which is currently emerging from the ground.
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So this is a huge re-industrialization challenge for this little electric car, some test models of which, still camouflaged, are already driving west of Paris. Impossible to film it completely, the new R5 will be presented on Monday at the Geneva Motor Show (Switzerland).
